Gusseted, contoured plastic bag for garment packaging



June 21, 1966 E- s. GREASON 3,256,976

GUSSETED, CONTOURED PLASTIC BAG FOR GARMENT PACKAGING Filed March 9.1965 K r MJ gm 26 j" h V 33 5 I L I! V/V/ In) 35 [I 7 {I W NTOR EARL. S.GREASON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,256,976 GUSSETED, CONTOUREDPLASTIC BAG FOR GARMENT PACKAGING Earl S. Greason, Darien, Conn.,assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporationof New York Filed Mar. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 438,246 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-46)This invention relates to a novel bag, and in particular, to a bagparticularly adapted for the packaging therein of garments, such asshirts and other irregularly contoured wearing apparel, and ischaracterized by a gusseted bottom closed at opposite corners bycontoured seals which eliminate unsightly and undesirable conventionaldog ears and conform the corners to, for example, the shoulders of apackaged shirt and a medial unsealed portion of the gusseted bottom tothe shirt collar, thusforming a more esthetic and advantageous packagethan heretofore presently known or provided.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel bag which ispreferably constructed from heat scalable material and flattened todefine front and rear walls joined by side edge portions, the bagincluding an opened top and a gusseted bottom, the gusseted bottomdefining with each of the side edge portions an associated corner of thebag, and a pair of heat seals converging toward each other acrossthegusseted bottom from associated side edge portions to form closedcorners and a medial open portion of the gusseted bottom between thecorners whereby the bag can accommodate irregularly shaped articlespackaged therein with the corners of the bag accommodating relativelythin portions of an article and the open medial portion of the gussetedbottom between the corners accommodating a relatively thicker portion ofa packaged article. a

A further object of this invention is'to provide improvements ingusseted 'bagsof the type including a generally tubular flattened bodydefined by opposing body wall panels, a gusset joining the wall panelsat a first of first and second opposite end portions of the body, thegusset having first and second gusset panels joined along respectivefirst and second fold lines to respective ones of the body wall panelsand another fold line joining the first and second gusset panels to eachother inwardly of the first and second fold lines toward the second endportion of the body whereby the gusset normally opens away from thesecond end portion, and closing means for closing end portions of thenormally open, gusset for preventing the closed end portions openingaway from the second end portion, the closing means each being a heatseal bonding portion of the first and second gusset panels and the wallpanels to each other, the heat seals generally converging toward eachother and being outwardly convexed in configuration, whereby anirregularly contoured article, such as a shirt, canbe packaged in the'bag with the convex heat seal portions conforming to the shoulders ofthe shirt and-the unsealed portion of the gusseted bottom between theheat seals opening to accommodate the shirt neck to thus form anesthetic package.

and closed opposite end portions accommodating corners of the article ateach side of the thicker portion, and the closed opposite end portionsand corners being similarly 3,256,976 Patented June 21, 1966 contouredwhereby the bag conforms to the general configuration of the article.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel method offorming a gusseted bag by forming a sheet of heat-sealable material intoa pair of opposed planar wall panels joined to each other by anoutwardly opening gusset, transporting the formed material along apredetermined path, heat sealing longitudinal edge portions of theformed material to form a generally tubelike member having an open mouthopposite the gusset, and heat sealing the tube-like member acrossopposite end portions of the gusset between an associate-d longitudinaledge portion and a terminal portion of the wall panels at the gusset.

With the above, and other objects in View that will hereinafter appear,the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by referenceto the following detailed description, the appended claims and theseveral views illustrated in the accompanying drawing:

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a top perspective view of a novel package formed inaccordance with this invention, and illustrates a folded garmentpackaged in a bag having a gusseted bottom contoured at opposite cornersto accommodate the shoulders of the garment and open at a medial portionbetween the corners to accommodate a collar of the garment.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the novel bag of thisinvention, and illustrates a generally convex line of heat sealingacross a gusset at opposite corners of the bag bottom.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the. lowermostcorner of the bag of FIGURE 2, and more clearly illustrates the line ofheat sealing at this corner.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally alongline 4-4 of FIGURE 3, and illustrates a pair of unsealed panels definingan outwardly opening unsealed gusset portion of the gusseted bottombetween the corners of the bag.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 55of FIGURE 3, and illustrates the panels of the gusset sealed to closethe gusset at the corner of the bag.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken generally alongline 6-6 of FIGURE 2, and illustrates an open mouth of the bag and aflap in position closing the same.

Referring to the drawing in particular, a novel bag constructed inaccordance with this invention is best illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 ofthe drawing and is generally referred to by the reference numeral 10.The bag 10 is particularly adapted for the packaging therein of agarment 11 (FIGURE 1), such as a folded shirt, sweater, jacket or otherarticles which are similarly of a generally rectangular configuration ofuniform and predetermined length, width and thickness but includeportions 12, such as a shirt collar, which are relatively thicker thanthe predetermined thickness of the article and are generally locatedadjacent an edge 13 of the article or shirt 11 and between oppositecorner portions 14, 15, which may,

for example, be the folded shoulders of the" shirt 11.-

The bag 10 and the article 11 therein define a package generallyreferredto by the reference numeral 20. The

package 20 is illustrated for purposes of description as tively. Thefront and rear body walls or panels 26, 27 are generally rectangular inoutline and include opposite overlying longitudinal side edge portions28, 30 heat sealed along respective lines of heat sealing 31, 32. Thelines of heat sealing 31, 32 extend in generally parallel relationshipto each other from top portions 33, 34 of the respective walls 26, 27toward the gusseted bottom 35 of the bag 10, terminating at tangentialintersections with the respective lines of heat sealing 47, 48 acrossthe corner portions 45, 46 of the gusset 35.

The gusseted bag bottom or the gusset 35 is best illustrated in FIGURES4 and of the drawing and includes first and second gusset panels 36, 37respectively joined along respective first and second folds or foldlines 38, 40 to the respective front and rear panels 26, 27. The gussetpanels 36, 37 are joined to each other along another fold or fold line41 between the front and rear panels 26, 27 and spaced from the foldlines 38, 40 toward the top edge portions 33, 34 of the bag 10. Thegusset 35 is thereby constructed to open generally away from a normallyopened top or mouth 43 (FIGURE 6) of the bag 10.

Opposite end or corner portions 45, 46 of the gusset 35 are closed byrespective lines of heat sealing 47, 48 which merge with the parallellines of heat sealing 31, 32 .respectively adjacent the fold 41, as isbest illustrated in FIGURE 2 of the drawing. The lines of heat sealing47, 48 secure the panels 26, 27, 36 and 37 completely to each other, asis best illustrated in FIGURE 5 of the drawing with respect to the lineof heat sealing 48. The gusset panels 36, 37 are thus closed along thelines of heat sealing 47, 48 but are open between the ends (unnumbered)of these lines of heat sealing, as is clearly shown in FIG- URE 4 of thedrawing.

The package 20 is formed by inserting the shirt or similar article 11into the bag through the open mouth 43 thereof. As the shirt 11 is movedtoward the gusseted bottom 35, the thicker (or higher) collar 12 of theshirt 11 gradually forces the medial portion of the gusset 35 betweenthe lines of heat sealing 47, 48 to expand or open and accommodate thefull height of the collar 12, in the manner clearly illustrated inFIGURE 1 of the drawing. The shoulders 14, are less thick than thecollar 12 and no expansion of the guesset is necessary to accommodatethe shoulders 14, 15 nor is such expansion provided for by therespective corners 45, 46. The corner remains closed because of the lineof heat sealing 47 and snugly and conformingly receives the foldedshoulder 14 of the shirt 11 while the corner 46 similarly accommodatesthe folded shoulder 15. The gusseted bag bottom 35 thus eliminatesconventional unsightly dog cars at the corners of conventional bagscorresponding to the corners 45, 46 of the bag 10 and provides astructure which substantially conforms completely to the entire contourof the packaged article 11 because of the contoured lines of heatsealing 47, 48 which prevent the panels 36, 37 of the gusset 35 fromopening in these areas, yet to conform to the portions 14, 15 of thepackaged article 11 and permit expansion whererequired.

The bag 10 is also provided with a pocket 51 into which an end portionof the article 11 opposite the collar 12 is inserted to preventinadvertent or accidental removal of the article 11 from the open mouth43. The pocket 51 is defined by a reversely folded flap portion 52 ofthe bottom panel 27. The flap 52 extends across the entire width of thebag 10 and terminates at a free edge 53 defining a pocket mouth 54. Thelines of heat sealing 31, 32 seal opposite edge portions of the flap 52to both the top panel 26 and the bottom panel 27. After the shirt isinserted in the bag 10 in the manner heretofore described through themouth 43 between the top wall 26 and the flap 52, the last portion ofthe article 11 being packaged in the bag is moved toward the gussetedbottom 35 beyond the terminal edge 53 of the flap 52, thereafter thislast entering portion of the article 11 is in- 4 serted in the pocket 51through the pocket mouh 54. The foldable nature of the article 11permits this manipulation with little difiiculty.

The novel bag 10 of this invention has been thus far described withoutreference .to the particular material from which the bag is constructedor the manner of manufacturing the same. In accordance with a preferredform of this invention, the material of the bag 10 is any flexiblepackaging material which is capable of being folded to form the bottomgusset 35 and which can be cut and sealed, preferably heat sealed, toform the convexly contoured corners or and portions 45, 46. The materialof the bag 10 is preferably transparent or semitransparent and may be,for example, polyethylene or similar plastic film or sheet material.

The bags of this invention are preferably constructed from a web ofsheet material (not shown) which is transported along a predeterminedpath and folded to form a gusseted portion and opposed wall portions.The folded web is guided through a station and forms the contour seal 47on a leading bag and the contour seal 48 on a trailing bag, or viceversa; Simultaneously, the generally cusp-shaped piece of undesiredmaterial between the contoured seals of adjacent leading and trailingbags is cut out and pneumatically or mechanically discarded. At asubsequent station a single straight line side seal is made running fromthe top of each bag to the peak of each of the cusp-shaped openingsdefined by the removed materialbetween the contour bottom of leading andtrailing bags. This side seal mechanism has a hot wire thatsimultaneously forms the side seals 31, 32 and cuts them apart.

While a preferred form of the bag of this invention and the method ofmanufacturing the same has been disclosed herein, modifications in boththe bag and the method will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart after reviewing this disclosure and are considered a part thereof.For example, the bag '10 need not include the pocket 51 and thisparticular bag top construction may be eliminated or alternatelysubstituted for by other bag closing means. For example, the panel 52need not be reversely folded prior to the formation of the heat seals31, 32, .but may merely project beyond the top portions 33, 34 of thebag 10. Upon this construction, the flap or panel 52 may then merely beinserted into the bag 10 after the shirt 11 or similar article has beenpackaged therein.

It is also within the scope of this invention to provide the bag 10 withan opening or weakening means, such as suitable perforations, at thegusset 35 substantially medially between the corners 45, 46 to adapt thebag for use with shirts or similar garments when hung upon conventionalclothes hangers. In this case, the bag 10 would be of a sufficient widthto accommodate a garment in its unfolded condition or, alternatively, abag of a sufficient size to accommodate an adult-size garment may beprovided with such an opening and instructions advising consumers thatthe bag could be used with smaller infant-size clothing for storage orother purposes in conjunction with hangers in a known manner.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that novel and advantageousprovisions have been made for carrying out the desired end. However,attention is again directed to the fact that additional variations maybe made in this invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

*1. A package comprising an article and a bag, said article beinggenerally rectangular and of a predetermined length, width andthickness, the thickness of said article being generally uniform exceptfor a relatively thicker portion and adjacent at least one longitudinaledge of said article, said article being positioned in said bag, saidbag including a generally flattened tubular body having front and rearwalls, said front and rear walls being generally rectangular in outlineand including opposite overlying 5v side edge portions and top edgeportions, said side edge portions being joined to each other to definethe generally tubular construction of said body, said body terminatingin a gusseted bottom, said article being positioned in said body withthe thicker portion thereof adjacent said gusseted bottom, said gussetedbottom including first and second gusset panels joined along respectivefirst and second fold lines to the respective front and rear panels,said gusset panels being joined to each other along another fold linebetween the front and rear walls spaced from said first and second foldlines toward said top edge portions whereby said gusseted bottom opensaway from said top, means closing said'gusseted bottom at opposite endportions thereof, said closing means being in the form of a seal at eachend portion of the gusseted bottom extending between said another foldline and said first and second fold lines, said gusseted bottom havingan expandable portion between said seals, said seals converging towardeach other from said another fold line toward said first and second foldlines, said seals each being generally arcuate in configuration,portions of said article 6- to either side of said thicker portion beingin conforming relationship to said seals, and said thicker portion beingreceived by said expandable portion.

2. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein said arcuate seals are ofan outward convex configuration.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS THERON E. CONDON,Primary Examiner.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Examiner.

W. T. DIXSON, Assistant Examiner.

1. A PACKAGE COMPRISING AN ARTICLE AND A BAG, SAID ARTICLE BEINGGENERALLY RECTANGULAR AND OF A PREDETERMINED LENGTH, WIDTH ANDTHICKNESS, THE THICKNESS OF SAID ARTICLE BEING GENERALLY UNIFORM EXCEPTFOR A RELATIVELY THICKER PORTION AND ADJACENT AT LEAST ONE LONGITUDINALEDGE OF SAID ARTICLE, SAID ARTICLE BEING POSITIONED IN SAID BAG, SAIDBAG INCLUDING A GENERALLY FLATTENED TUBULAR BODY HAVING FRONT AND REARWALLS, SAID FRONT AND REAR WALLS BEING GENERALLY RECTANGULAR IN OUTLINEAND INCLUDING OPPOSITE OVERLYING SIDE EDGE PORTIONS AND TOP EDGEPORTIONS, SAID SIDE EDGE PORTIONS BEING JOINED TO EACH OTHER TO DEFINETHE GENERALLY TUBULAR CONSTRUCTION OF SAID BODY, SAID BODY TERMINATINGGUSSET PANELS BEING JOINED TO EACH OTHER ALONG ANOTHER BODY WITH THETHICKER PORTION THEREOF ADJACENT SAID GUSSETED BOTTOM, SAID GUSSETEDBOTTOM INCLUDING FIRST AND SECOND GUSSET PANELS JOINED ALONG RESPECTIVEFIRST AND SECOND FOLD LINES TO THE RESPECTIVE FRONT AND REAR PANELS,SAID GUSSET PANELS BEING JOINED TO EACH OTHER ALONG ANOTHER FOLD LINEBETWEN THE FRONT AND REAR WALLS SPACED FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND FOLDLINES TOWARD SAID TOP EDGE PORTIONS WHEREBY SAID GUSSETED BOTTOM OPENSAWAY FROM SAID TOP, MEANS CLOSING SAID GUSSETED BOTTOM AT OPPOSITE ENDPORTIONS THEROF, SAID CLOSING MEANS BEING IN THE FORM OF A SEAL AT EACHEND PORTION OF THE GUSSETED BOTTOM EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ANOTHER FOLDLINE AND SAID FIRST AND SECOND FOLD LINES, SAID GUSSETED BOTTOM HAVING NEXPANDABLE PORTION BETWEEN SAID SEALS, SAID SEALS CONVERGING TOWARD EACHOTHER FROM SAID ANOTHER FOLD LINE TOWARD SAID FIRST AND SECOND FOLDLINES, SAID SEALS EACH BEING GENERALLY ARCUATE IN CONFIGURATION,PORTIONS OF SAID ARTICLE TO EITHER SIDE OF SAID THICKER PORTION BEING INCONFORMING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID SEALS, AND SAID THICKER PORTION BEINGRECEIVED BY SAID EXPANDABLE PORTION.